Each week’s episode of This American Life is a nugget of gold — a brain tickler, a heart tenderizer, a laugh provoker, a gut puncher.
Some of my favorite episodes and stories include the following:
One of the many wonderful components of each week’s broadcast is the curated soundtrack. While listening to an episode, I often find myself wondering, “What is that music? Who is playing it? And how do I get my hands on it?”
On this page, I’ve collected iTunes Music Store links to a number of songs and compositions that have been incorporated into TAL episodes into a playlist from which the tracks are easily purchasable.
With song previews, here:
With direct links to iTunes, here:
- “5-4=Unity” by Pavement
- “6 Ghosts I”, “9 Ghosts I”, “12 Ghosts II” and “13 Ghosts II” by Nine Inch Nails
- “A Grand Love Theme”, “The Bootleggers” and “Alone Again So” by Kid Loco
- “A Quai” by Yann Tiersen
- “Acolyte of the Flux” by Thomas Newman
- “All that you give” by Cinematic Orchestra
- “Alone in Kyoto” by Air
- “Autopilot” by Seam
- “Awnaw” by Nappy Roots
- “Bathing Blossom” from the album Secretary: Original Soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti
- “Big Calm” by Morcheeba
- “Buried at Sea” by MC 900 Ft. Jesus
- “Carpathian Ridge” and “Did You Know Him” by Michael Andrews
- “Catalog and Classify” by Mark Robinson
- “Changeling”, “Midnight in a Perfect World” and “Stem/Long Stem” by DJ Shadow
- “Christmas Steps” by Mogwai
- “Close To Me” by The Cure
- “Coffaro’s Theme” by Bill Frisell
- “Creole Love Call” by Duke Ellington
- “Daytrip” by Amon Tobin
- “Deep Blue Day” by Brian Eno
- “Diabolus” by Cinematic Orchestra
- “Dogs We Thought We Knew” by The Scott Fields Ensemble
- “Dreams” and “Lux Aeterna” by Clint Mansell and performed by Kronos Quartet
- “Drunken Tune” by Cinematic Orchestra
- “Evil vs. Good” by Clem Snide
- “Get Your Truck” by Hal Hartley
- “Green Arrow” by Yo La Tengo
- “Highschool Lover”, “Dirty Trip” and “Ghost Song” by Air
- “In Particular” by Blonde Redhead
- “Indie Rock Spock Ears” by Dianogah
- “Kristofferson’s Theme” by Alexandre Desplat
- “Kt” by Bexar Bexar
- “Kyoko’s House: Stage Blood is not Enough” by Philip Glass
- “Lakara” by Kinn
- “Laura’s Theme” by Nathan Johnson
- “Metamorphosis I” and “Japura River” by Philip Glass and performed by Uakti
- “Music For A Found Harmonium” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
- “My Sweet Potato” by Booker T. & the M.G.’s
- “Namaste” and “Groove Holmes” by Beastie Boys
- “Numbers 1-4” and “Telephone and Rubber Band” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
- “Painted Sun in Abstract” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- “Paul’s Dance” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
- “Penguin Cafe Single” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
- “Peter and Sylvie” by Michael Andrews
- “Rumble” by Link Wray
- “Sad Bowels” by John Powell
- “Shatter” by Liz Phair
- “Sketch” and “Perpetuum Mobile” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
- “Sleepless” by Marconi Union
- “So What” from the album Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
- “Still Dre (Instrumental)” by Dr. Dre
- “Strange Bath”, “Cubes”, “You Learn”, and “Coincidences” by Jon Brion
- “Strange People Live Next Door” by The Scott Fields Ensemble
- “Talisman” by Air
- “Tenuous Gears” by Damiak
- “The Chase” by Portastatic
- “The Sinister Minister” by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
- “Theme from the Graffiti Artist” by Kid Loco
- “Theme” and “Phone Call” by Jon Brion
- “This Could Be Beautiful” by Metronomy
- “Trespasser” by Bad Medicine
- “Tune Down” by Chris Joss
- “Turquoise Hexagon Sun” by Boards of Canada
- “Untitled III (Remix)” by Calexico
- “Viva Tirado, Pt. 1” by El Chicano
- “Wally, Egon, & Models in The Studio” by Rachel’s
- “Whipping the Horse’s Eyes” by Calexico
- “Wichita Sutra Vortex” by Philip Glass
- “Who Am I” by Peace Orchestra
- “Yèkèrmo Sèw (A Man of Experience and Wisdom)” by Mulatu Astatke
Enjoy!
